Monthly Archives: July 2011

Postcard from Up North

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Maureen Abood
Walloon Lake 7-11 SM

Walloon Lake, summer night. Wish you were here. (This must be real if it looks this good taken with my phone.)

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Are you a coosa?

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Maureen Abood
Coosa plate laban SM

Many of us at some point or another have called a small child “pumpkin.” Sweet little thing you just want to eat up. My father was someone who enjoyed taking liberties with language, and he developed his own kind of … Continue reading →

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Technique: How to core coosa, or summer squash

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Maureen Abood
Coosa cored finished sm2

To make stuffed squash, or coosa mehshee (MEH-she), the squash has to be hollowed out. A special tool is used for this, and it’s typically called a zucchini corer. These long metal corers can be found in Middle Eastern markets … Continue reading →

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Ingredient: Summer Squash, or Coosa

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Maureen Abood
Summer Squash sm

A thrilling experience I had when I was living in Chicago was discovering Lebanese coosa at the Green City Market (I’m easily thrilled). This variety of summer squash was dubbed “Korean” squash by the wonderful Green Acres Farm, but it … Continue reading →

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Yogurt Cucumber Salad with Mint

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Maureen Abood
Laban khiyar SM

When I’ve envisioned the story of my grandmother’s arranged marriage in Lebanon, and her immediate, teary-eyed departure to the United States with her new husband, one of the more lighthearted among the many serious thoughts I’ve had about her journey … Continue reading →

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Technique: How to dry mint

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Maureen Abood
Dried mint plate close up sm

Dried mint, or na’na, is an important flavor component in Lebanese cooking. It’s often combined with fresh mint to intensify the mint flavor—in a good way, not in a menthol way. Drying mint is a great opportunity to preserve an … Continue reading →

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Ingredient: Mint, or Na’na

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Maureen Abood
Nana up close POST

Na’na (pronounced NAH-nuh), or spearmint, is an herb used in lots of savory ways in Lebanese cooking—we’ll be using it later this week in an absolutely delicious Lebanese salad. You can find mint at the farmer’s market now and in … Continue reading →

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Porch time: Strawberry Rose Lemonade Part II

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Maureen Abood

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that for every joy there is a sorrow. The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran’s “On Joy and Sorrow” says that the deeper sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you … Continue reading →

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Strawberry Rose Lemonade

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Maureen Abood
Strawberries pt 1-2

Hello and welcome! Since this blog is named for two of my favorite flavors in Lebanese cuisine—the essence of roses and orange blossoms, distilled in water—it seems only fitting that we kick things off with a recipe using one of … Continue reading →

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